I am a Filipino and a Patriot! - This is my Protest on Philippine Independence Day 2020

This was a brute force digitized image of my profile picture. Thank you, Facebook. I added hashtags that rings so loud nowadays - most of which i have been fighting for since the very beginning. 

Let me start by saying that i am a patriot, and will always be in love with this country. I wanted to write a birthday message to my home country yesterday, but it was so hard for me to put into context all the sadness and despair i have been feeling lately. I had so much hope for this country, yet it always fails me in so many ways. I am in love with this country, but as of the moment, i hate it. It's like a bad dream i want to end. 

I have many causes which i fight for. These causes of mine have lead me to purge hundreds of my friends on Facebook. I have no regrets at all. It was my intuition telling me to weed out bad branches, and nurture those that have yet to grow. This is similar to the kinds of people you want to interact with, from hereon. Like trolls which are very present on social media now, I'd like to block them all. There's no point to a discourse. My protest is weeding you out in my life, for good. Some people may say this is childish and unreasonable. I say, politics is very personal to me. As a patriot, i feel what my country feels. I weep when my country weeps. I have been weeping for three years now. 

Some of these friends of mine on Facebook try to add me up again on Facebook. I hope they got the message clear. That is my protest. I have no time to explain to you why clicking the unfriend button was the best decision i've made. It's rather but apt, since it's independence day today. 

#AtinAngPinas

As a patriot, i find it insulting and cruel not to talk about the Chinese invasion of our seas in the West Philippine Sea. When i read back on this particular post many years from now, i hope that they finally leave our shores and return back our isles rightfully. But i have a strong feeling, they won't. Our leaders have let them be. As a patriot, i am raging with anger - along with the many people who fight for our sovereign rights. A few days ago, i attended a seminar online, with guest speakers Former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario, to name a few and moderated by Senator Risa Hontiveros. I woke up for this, and as i enjoy my breakfast, i've listened carefully. It's every Filipino's duty to get informed about the plight of the country, and our ongoing protest to claim what is rightfully ours. 

#JunkTerrorBill

The country is facing one of the worst times ever. The ongoing pandemic has affected so many - lives have perished, economy is at its lowest and the worst part is, the government is not doing enough to flatten the curve. Yet, the congress and senate have the time to put into writing and approval of the Terror Bill. Don't get me wrong, and i think all of us who oppose this bill are gravely misunderstood. We do not condone terrorism. In fact, i hate it. I have been to 75% of the provinces in Mindanao for leisure, and you know why i cannot complete all the provinces, terrorism. I have a fear for terrorism. This new law will not address newly what was once a previous bill rehashed from before. There were a lot of red flags to this bill that's why we continuously oppose it. Silencing those who fight for rights and liberty to criticize the government and red tagging them as terrorists is the origin of our debacle. This law allows that arrest. It has and will directly affect the right to freedom of speech which is mandated by the constitution. Moreover, we don't trust that the body will decide on circumstances justly, just because this is beneficial to the sitting president. Just to be clear, i am not a terrorist. I oppose the terror bill but i am not a terrorist. 

Araw ng Kalayaan 

This year's independence day, for most Filipinos, is more emotional because freedom is curtailed. This country, which was once a cradle for democracy in Asia, and a hub for for freedom and liberty is slowly dissipating into the mercy of tyrants. I, for one, feel like my voice is taken away from me because of fear. But this day brings forth the reminder that as a Filipino, i will continue to fight for our rights to speak up on issues that affect this nation. As Maria Ressa of Rappler once said, "We will not duck, we will not hide, we will hold the line."

Why? Because i am a Filipino and a Patriot. Are you?